Invalid bed and lifter.



No. 772,948. V PATENTED OCT. 2.5, 1904.'

L. G. MARTIN.

11W/'AMDv BED AND LETER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2. 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED OCT. 25, 1904.

L. C.y MARTIN.

INVALID BED AND LIFTEN.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. Z. 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.A

NO MODEL.

UNITED STATES LEWIS C. MARTIN, LOUDON, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO atented ctober f25, 1904.e

GEORGE M. BURDETT, OF LENOIR CITY, TENNESSEE.

`-|NVAL|D BED AND LIFTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,948, dated October 25, 1904. Application iled September 2, 1903. Serial No. 171,674. (No model.)

T al?, whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS C. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Loudon, in the county of Loudon and State 'of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Invalid Bed and Lifter, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an invalid bed and lifter.`

The object of the present invention is to improve the constructionl of apparatus for v handling invalids and to provide a simple, in-

expensive, and eflicient apparatus designed for use in homes, private houses, hospitals, and the like and adapted to be arranged adjacent to a bed of the ordinary construction and to operate in conjunction therewith and capable of supporting a patient or invalid in a variety of positions and of enabling a patient toconveniently assume a sitting position and to be readily turned on either side when in a reclining position.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this character adapted to be arranged iiat upon a bed beneath the occupant thereof and capable of being readily raised to lift the occupant of the bed clear of the same for facilitating rearranging the bed or for handling the patient.

The invention alsohas for its object to provide an apparatus for handling invalids and patients in which the supporting means will be capable of horizontal movement for shifting or transferring a person from one side of a bed to the other or for carrying him entirely clear of the bed.

With these and other objects in view the invention consistsl in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustratedin the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in sorted to Without departing from the spirit l or sacrlcing any of the advantages of the in the claims heretoappended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of .construction within the scope of the claims may be revention.

In the drawings, Figure `l is a perspective View of an apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention and shown applied to a bed, the bedstead being illustrated in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view. trating the construction of the ratchet mechanism for holding the adjustable invalid-support. Fig. 4 is a detail vieW illustrating the mann er of securing the adjustable leg-sections of the support. Fig.' 5 is a planviewof onehalf of the support, illustrating the arrangement of the` leg-sections and the commodeopening.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings. y

1 l designate a pair of horizontal guiderods having upturned ends 2 and secured by bolts 3 or other suitable fastening devices to upper horizontal side bars 4 of an approximately rectangular supporting-frame, which is designed to be Varranged around the intermediate portion of a bedstead betweenthe head and foot of the same, as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings; but the terminals of the horizontal guide-rods may be secured to the ceiling of the room or to any other suitable support, as will be readily understood. The supporting-frame, which is designed to be constructed of metal, may be of any desired size, and it may be'constructed to fit closely around a cot'or bedstead, or it may be constructed of considerably greater width than the bedstead to enable the movable support 5 to be carried clear of the bedstead or cot. Also the supporting-frame may be constructed of greater length than the cot or bedstead, and

the transverse guide-rods may be positioned at any desired point to arrange the movable support in the desired position with relation to the bed or cotin connection With which it is to be used. The upper side bars 4 of the supporting-frame may be formed integral with the corner-posts 6, as shown', and the latter have vtheir lower terminals angularly bent and perforated for the reception of bolts 7 for securing them to lower side bars or sills 8,'Which are adapted to rest upon the floor and which may be made either of metal or wood. By

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view illus# this construction the main frame is composed of two connected side frames, and it is adapted to readily span a bed,

The support 5, which may consist of a mattress, rubber' or fabric cloth, or the like, is rectangular and may be of any desired size. It preferably consists of a rectangular frame and a sheet or covering of supporting material. The rectangular frame of the movable support 5 is composed of side and end rods 9 and 10, the end rods forming pintles for the purpose hereinafter described and provided at their terminals with eyes 11 for the reception of the ends of the side rods, which are threaded and provided with nuts 12, arranged in pairs and located at opposite sides of the eyes 11'.

The end rods, which form pintles, pass through alined perforations or eyes of windlass-frames 13, located at the ends of the movable support 5 and extending across the same,

as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Each windlass-frame is composed of upright end plates or pieces 14, intermediate plates or pieces 15. a connecting top rod 16, and windlass-shafts 17. The top rod passes through perforations of the plates or pieces 14 and 15 and is threaded at its ends for the reception of nuts 18, located at the opposite faces of the end plates or pieces 14. A spacing-sleeve 19, which is interposed between and rigidly secured to the upper portions of the intermediate plates or pieces 15, is secured to the top rod by a pin 2O or other suitable fastening device. The end rods of the frame of the movable support are threaded and receive nuts 21 for engaging the inner faces of the end plates or pieces 14, and the said eyes l1 are provided with threaded sleeves Q2, which are arranged on the threaded ends of the rods 10 and which engage the outer faces of the end plates or pieces 14. The windlass-frames are capable of swinging inward and outward to permit the movable support 5 to be adjusted, and one end of the support may be raised above the other.

The windlass-shafts are arranged in pairs and terminate at their outer ends in crankhandles 23, hand-wheels, or otherwise and have their inner ends litted within a spacingsleeve 24, which is interposed between the intermediate plates or pieces l5. The sleeve 24 is iXed to one of the windlass-shafts by a pin or other suitable fastening device, and

the inner end of the other windlass-shaft is i loosely arranged within the said sleeve 24. Each wlndlass-shaft carries a spool or drum 25, on which is wound one end of a rope or cable, which has its other end attached to one end of a hanger 27. The hanger consists of a rod or bar provided at its ends with dependi ing eyes 28 to receive the ropes or cables 26 and having upwardly-extending arms 29, between which are journaled grooved rollers or wheels 30, arranged to run on the rods, wherelby the movable support 5 is adapted to be l shifted from oneside of thesupporting-frame tothe other. 'lhe wiinllass-shafts are secured i against retrograde rotation by spring-aetnlated dogs Bl and ratchet-wheels l'll. The i ratchet-wheels are suitably lixed to the windlass-shafts, and the dogs are pivoted between their ends, their upper or outer arms forming grips or handles and their lower or inner arms being engaged with the ratchet-wheels.

The pawls or dogs are maintained in engagement with the ratchet-wheels b v springs 33,

which are mounted on the dogs and which engage projections 34 of the end plates or pieces i 14, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The upper or outer arms of the dogs ar adapted to be depressed or moved inward against the action of the spring when it is desired to throw the inner or engaging' arms ont ol engagement with the ratchet-wheels to permit the windlass-shafts to turn lmclnvard for lowering the movablesupport The windlasses and the ropes or cables which constitute the hoisting' mechanism are adapted for raising and lowering the adjustable support 5, and one end or side may be raised aboveI the other. When it is desired to turn a patient on his side, the windlasses at one side of the movable supportare raised to incline the said snpport, and the patient may be readily handled and when lying upon the fiat of his bach may be readily turned from such position to permit him to lie upon either side. 'lrhe ropes or cables extend upward from the spools or drums through suit-able guide-openings 1(5of the top rods 1G.

The transverse guide-rods brace the top of the frame near the ends thereof, and the ends of the suplmrting-frame are braced by upper and lowertransverse bars and B5, but any other suitable bracing means may be employed for strengthening the supportilig-frame.

ln practice the movable support 5 will normally be arranged fiat upon a cot or bed and the invalid or patient will be placed upon it. Then it is desired to move the patient, the. hoisting mechanism is manipulated to raise the movable support cl `ar of the cot or bed, and the hangers may then be moved longitudinally of the guides to carry the support from one side of the bed to the other or to a point beyond the bed or cot when the size ol the supporting-frame or the length of the guidei rods will permit such movenant.

l The movable support is provided near its center with a circular commode-opening Se,

and it has a pair of longitudinal leg-supporting sections located beyond the said opening 86 and extending inward from the foot of the movable support. The leg-sections, which are capable of adjustment to arrange them either in the same horizontal frame as the rest of the support or at an inclination, are adjustably connected at their outer ends by straps 38 or other suitable means with the ad- IOO 'the limbs of an invalid or patient in a natural or convenient position w'hile he is sitting upon the support.

The members of the supporting-frame are detachably secured together by bolts or other suitable fastening devices and may be readily separated to permit the frame to be taken down and compactly stored when not in use.

The cloth or other material of which the support 5 may be constructed may be attached to the side and end bars 9 and l() by means of straps and buckles or other suitable fastening devices, and, if desired, the side and end bars 9 and 10 may be made foldable in any desired manner.- The side and end bars 9 and 10 of the rectangular frame may be made in one piece or be composed of hinged sections and be provided with slidable sleeves for covering the hinge-joint for holding the sections rigid with each other when the invalid bed and lifter is in use.

Having thusfully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. An apparatus of the class described, comprising guides, means for supporting the guides, hangers at the ends slidable on the guides, a movable support carried by the hangers and adapted to support a patient or invalid, and independently-operable hoisting devices arranged in'pairs at each of the hangers and connected with the same and with the support, whereby the said support may be raised and lowered in a horizontal position or tilted laterally or longitudinally and raised and lowered, substantially as described.

2. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a movable support tiltable laterally and longitudinally and adapted vto receive a person, transverse guide-rods located above the support, means for supporting the guiderods, hangers provided with wheels arranged to run on the guide-rods, and 'hoisting devices located at the ends of the support and aranged in pairs and connected with thesupport and with the hangers, the members of each pair of hoisting devices being simultaneously and independently adjustable, whereby the sup-- port is adapted to be either raised and lowered in a horizontal position or tilted laterally or longitudinally, substantially as described.

3. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a movable support tiltable laterally and longitudinally and adapted to receive a person, frames hinged to the support at the ends thereof, and hoisting devices arranged in pairs and mounted on the said frames, the members ofeach pair being independently adjustable for effecting the said tilting of the support, substantially as described.

4. An apparatus of theclass described, comprising a movable support tiltable laterally and longitudinally and adapted to receive a person, frames disposed transversely of the ends of the support and hinged to the same, independently-operable windlasses arranged in pairs and mounted on the said frames and provided with hoisting ropes or cables, and means for locking the windlasses for holding the support in its adjusted position, substantially as described.

5. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a supporting-frame provided with transverse guide-bars and designed to be arranged adjacent to a bed, hangers movable on the guide-bars, a movable support, and hoisting devices arranged in pairs and connected with the support and with the hangers, the members of each pair being simultaneously and independently adjustable, whereby `the i support is adapted to be either raised and lowered in a horizontal position or tilted laterally or longitudinally, substantially as described.

6. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a movable support, frames hinged to the support and comprising end and intermediate plates, top rods connecting the said plates, and windlass-shafts journaled on the plates and arranged in pairs, and hoisting ropes or cables connected with the windlassshafts, substantially as described.

7. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of an approximately horizontal support adapted to receive a person and capable of being arranged upon a bed and having a commode-opening and provided with adjustable leg-supporting sections, extending outward from points adjacent to said opening, and means for securing the leg-supporting sections at the desired adjustment, substantially as described.

8,. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of an approximately horizontal support provided with independently-movable leg-supporting sectionsradapted to receive the legs of a person and extending longitudinally of the same and adapted to be lowered toan inclined position to permit the occupant to situpon the support, substantially as described.

9. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of an approximately horizontal support having acommode-aperture and provided withv an adjustableleg-section ar? ranged to receive a leg and extend longitudinally thereof and adapted to swing downward to an inclined position to permit the occupant to assume a sitting position, and means for supporting the section in its adjustment, substantially as described.

l0.' In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of an approximately horizontal support provided with a leg-supporting section formed by cutting the material of which the support is constructed and arranged to swing downward to an inclined position, and means for securing the leg-section in its adjustment, substantially as described.

11. In an apparatus of the class described, an approximately horizontal support comprising a frame, and a flexible covering supported by the frame and provided with an adjustable leg-supporting section formed by cutting the flexible covering adapted to be lowered to an inclined position, andprovided with means for securing it in its adjustment, substantially as described.

l2. In an apparatus of the class described, an approximately horizontal support eomprising a marginal frame, a flexible covering secured to the frame and provided with an adjustable leg-supporting section formed by cutting the iexible covering and arranged to receive and extend longitudinally ot' a leg, said section extending inward from the lrame and adapted to swing downward to an inclined position, and means provided with a ilexible strap for connecting the outer end oi the legsupporting section with the frame, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aiiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LEVVlS C. MARTlN.

Vllitnesses:

JOHN J. BLAIR, JOE MANSFIELD. 

